Reply. 1. You should have said [that would have been Church-members had they done that duty]. But you can best serve your own turn. 2. One Supreme Power maketh one Republic (with the subjects); And many Sovereigns make many Republics (as all grant): Therefore if all the Nations about had engrafted themselves into the Congregation of Israel but as the Sichemites did, they had not made one Republic, as to humane Sovereignty: I presume to tell you my thoughts of such a case (and so of the Sichemites): It was the glory of Israel to be a Theocracy: God was their Sovereign; not only as he was of all ⟨p. 23⟩the world (de jure and by overruling their humane Sovereign:) but by special Revelation doing the work a Sovereign himself: He made them Laws (and not Moses): He appointed them Captains under him by Revelation: He decided cases by Oracle: He gave them Judges that were Prophets, and acted by his extraordinary spirit. Though Moses is called a King, he was but an Official Magistrate, Captain and Prophet: [A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you like unto me, &c.] saith he: which had immediate respect to the form of Government and manner of succession, (as differing from the way of Kings which the Israelites sinfully preferred afterward, casting off this special Theocracy) though ultimately it intended Christ. Now, this being so, the Sichemites or any other nations who would have taken God for their Sovereign, and come under this special prophetical Theocracy, (which Circumcision engaged them to as respecting the Laws to which it bound them) had been so far united to Israel. But how far might this have extended? To the rest that he saith I consent. If you will not hold to this you must say that the Sichemites were to be of the same Community with Israel, and not of the same Republic, which signifieth either ungoverned Communities or various Republics confederating.
Reply. 1. You should have said [that would have been Church-members had they done that duty]. But you can best serve your own turn. 2. One Supream Power maketh one Republick (with the subjects); And many Soveraigns make many Republicks (as all grant): Therefore if all the Nations about had engraffed themselves into the Congregation of Israel but as the Sichemites did, they had not made one Republick, as to humane Soveraignty: I presume to tell you my thoughts of such a case (and so of the Sichemites): It was the glory of Israel to be a Theocracy: God was their Soveragin; not only as he was of all ⟨p. 23⟩the world (de jure and by overruling their humane Soveraign:) but by special Revelation doing the work a Soveraign himself: He made them Laws (and not Moses): He appointed them Captains under him by Revelation: He decided cases by Oracle: He gave them Judges that were Prophets, and acted by his extraordinary spirit. Though Moses is called a King, he was but an Official Magistrate, Captain and Prophet: [A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you like unto me, &c.] saith he: which had immediate respect to the form of Government and manner of succession, (as differing from the way of Kings which the Israelites sinfully preferred afterward, casting off this special Theocracy) though ultimately it intended Christ. Now, this being so, the Sichemites or any other nations who would have taken God for their Soveraign, and come under this special prophetical Theocracy, (which Circumcision engaged them to as respecting the Laws to which it bound them) had been so far united to Israel. But how far might this have extended? To the rest that he saith I consent. If you will not hold to this you must say that the Sichemites were to be of the same Communitie with Israel, and not of the same Republick, which signifieth either ungoverned Communities or various Republicks confederating.
